
Raw material costs also impact inventory management and the decision to produce and sell a new product. Specifically, the COA lists account numbers and account descriptions grouped by account types. A typical COA starts with balance sheet accounts (YTD assets and liabilities) cpg accounting and lists revenue and expense account numbers. Finally, the team should compared the accrual budget with actuals, to determine what percentage of money and resources from the trade budget could have better been utilized to drive additional sales in the next planning period.
Rethink commercial operating models to help meet omnichannel consumer needs
In some instances, forging alliances with other companies that offer complementary strengths can help accelerate development of a seamless ecosystem that best serves customers. Taking these initial steps will set CPG companies up for success in implementing ERP systems that transform SG&A processes and generate new value. An ERP-enabled SG&A transformation is best executed in a three-phase timeline that includes quick wins and focuses on specific value levers and business processes. CPG companies that https://www.bookstime.com/ have adopted a zero-based mindset have identified up to 20 percent in indirect-spend savings in less than six months. With this attitude of reexamining the status quo and reimagining it from a blank slate, CPG companies can embrace change and develop radical new ways to do business—and gain value in the process. The potential efficiencies enabled by ERP systems can be directly linked to the value that CPG companies can realize from investing in the ERP system and its surrounding applications.
Wrap-up: Getting Your Chart of Accounts Right

To strengthen consumer relationships, CPG leaders can turn to exclusive events, either virtual or real; games and contests; loyalty programs and rewards; community building; and entertainment. Both ratios tell a story about the business’ leverage.Higher values indicate more risk as the company is relying on debt to fund itsoperations and may already be stretched thin when it comes to the ability torepay this debt as it comes due. Investors will consider these ratios whendeciding the riskiness of future capital contributions. So, USPS tends to hike rates yearly, but that doesn’t mean your cost to produce that lotion increased by 3%.
Would you consider “Other Marketing Expenses” included in a contribution margin calculation?

CPG companies must assess the likelihood of inventory becoming obsolete and create inventory reserves to account for potential losses. This may occur due to changing consumer preferences or market trends or when a product is approaching its expiration date. CPG companies may also create inventory reserves to account for potential losses due to damage or deterioration of inventory. Consumer markets companies choosing to re-evaluate core business strategies related to supply chains, ESG initiatives and operating models in the context of an evolving tax and business landscape will be best positioned for future success. Using a data-driven approach — supported by technology — they can harness the insights necessary to make sound decisions, despite uncertainty and complexity. While total growth matters, our analysis shows that organic growth contributes more to the TRS outperformance of accretive growers than inorganic growth does.
- Some CPG manufacturers are vastly reducing or even eliminating parts of their portfolio that rely heavily on constrained commodities.
- The consumer packaged goods industry is highly competitive due to higher barriers to entry as well as high saturation and low consumer switching costs.
- Next-generation consumer engagement also allows brands to personalize products, as L’Oréal has demonstrated.
- Fortunately, with Byzzer’s reporting solutions, you can have all the data you need at your fingertips.
- The consumer packaged goods industry is one of the largest sectors in the U.S. economy.
- Bob has 25 years of finance and accounting leadership experience serving companies from the Fortune 500 to the middle market.
CPG companies typically have high volumes of transactions, which can make accounting challenging. These companies also face a high degree of competition and must manage their costs carefully to maintain profitability. In this article, we will discuss some of the key accounting considerations for CPG companies. When trade planning, it’s crucial to consider and report the different types of trade spend as some may be able to be allocated below gross margin, such as administrative fees or merchandising costs. Lumping together trade spend will cause challenges for your business from a forecasting perspective especially when reflecting on historicals. Keeping a tight rein on your trade costs helps you create and allocate budgets based on hard, cold data — and the actuals from accounting — and update your forecasts and budgets to reflect the most accurate and up-to-date information.
Contact us today to see how you can improve your Trade Promotion Management and accounting. For managers of inventory, two key ratios will also look at turnover and days. Consumer packaged goods are sometimes known as fast-moving consumer goods (FMCGs) because they sell quickly and are consumed quickly. Consumer packaged goods are bought, consumed, and replenished quickly and regularly. Examples are food, beverages, tobacco products, cosmetics, toilet paper, shampoo, cleaning supplies, and other household items.
Investing in integrated omnichannel experiences
Consumers can customize avatars with PacSun clothing and accessories available for sale in the virtual marketplace. The asset turnover ratio is a measure of efficiency by calculating how well a company uses its assets to generate sales. Now, you have a 20% contribution margin, which could be higher but not bad. That leaves you with 10% of revenue to give to all the employees, insurance, rent, benefits, etc, to land at an ‘ok’ net income of 10%.
This is especially true with consumers who own older versions of a durable good. A family may opt to squeeze a few more years from an outmoded washing machine rather than upgrade to a newer model. By contrast, sales of consumer packaged goods staples like bread, milk, and toothpaste are less affected by market fluctuations. Consumers consume or run out of these goods faster and must replace them or do without entirely. Despite experiencing a slowdown in growth over recent years, the consumer packaged goods industry is one of the largest sectors in North America. The sector contributes approximately $2 trillion to the United States gross domestic product (GDP).
- These questions are centered on good behaviors in tracking the cash flow of a CPG business.
- Accrual accounting gives you a broader picture of your real-time finances and allows you to make better decisions about sales tactics and market trends.
- If you don’t know what products are selling fastest and in what markets, you risk falling behind.
- For example, zero-based budgeting allows CPG companies to go beyond cost-cutting and reimagine their budgets from the ground up, starting at zero and reallocating spending toward areas that drive the most value.
Lesson 3: Growth is about out-executing your peers
- A zero-based approach helps companies redirect resources into areas where they can have the greatest impact and drive growth.
- As we said earlier, emerging-market companies are expanding aggressively and becoming global winners.
- The stronger the relationship, the higher the lifetime sales and the lower the attrition or churn.
- If you know one of your products is selling faster than others, you can invest strategically to increase sales velocity and gain more distribution.
- Personnel & fixed costs are a small portion of the P & L, as we just said, so you should be looking to leverage the fixed costs as much as possible since there isn’t much to begin with.
- New technologies will play an increasingly central role in business, as will regulation and government affairs.